Dear Editor,
As I read the Tribune March 1, I was pleased to see that Doctor Vivek Sharma from Hays Medical Center was opening a clinic in the
Great Bend Healthcare Center.
Six years ago, I was a patient of Dr. Sharma in Hays. When I walked in, I couldn’t walk 50 feet and had to find a place to sit a few minutes. Standing was sheer agony, three minutes and my left hip and leg were numb. Before going to Hays, I had been through all the pre-treatments. Physical therapy, inflammatory therapy and pain management injections. None helped more than a few days.
When Dr. Sharma showed me my MRI and X-rays, I understood why had been having such pain. Two discs in my lower back had slipped forward not quite half the circumference of the discs but placed the spinal cord in a distressed position. He outlined three options, he could enter from the front, over the hip or from the back. He left the room telling my wife and I that it would be our choice. Two minutes later he came back in and we all three said from the back because it was a lot less intrusive.
Into the operating room for 7 1/2 hours, then into recovery. When I woke up in recovery, I was absolutely “pain free” and I remain so today. I now have a wee bit of hardware in my back, two titanium strips and six titanium screws. I am able to bend, twist and lift with the ease I had when I was twenty.
I’ve recommended probably 20 or more to see Dr. Sharma. One lady had four previous operations in another facility and is pain free after Dr. Sharma fixed her. I understand one lady didn’t have quite the success the other people I’ve recommended have had.
I’m confident Dr. Sharma will be a welcome addition to this area and will soon have a large following.
Clayton Williamson
Hoisington